locked in (my heart, my heart)
by BaronessBlixen
Summary: Niles and Daphne are forced to spend some time together - and it makes Niles realize something. Short one-shot. Mostly fluff.


**A/N:** Set presumably somewhere in the first season.

* * *

'Today must be my lucky day', Niles thought as he stepped into the elevator and found himself looking at the most beautiful woman in the world.

"Daphne." He sighed. She lifted her head and the smile that curled around her lips was mirrored in her eyes. To think he had almost not reached the elevator in time!

"Dr. Crane, are you visiting your father and brother?" Naturally, she had no idea that she was the reason for his frequent visits. And he couldn't tell her. He was a married man – happily married, he reminded himself – and he didn't want her to get the wrong idea about him.

"I am. I see you've done laundry." As much as he enjoyed Daphne's company, being together in such close proximity without any distractions was awkward. There wasn't much to talk about. Except for the laundry. Daphne seemed to cling to the basket of clean clothes. At least they emitted a pleasant smell.

"It's me job." Daphne answered absent-mindedly. Suddenly Niles felt like she didn't want to talk to him and a truckload of doubts emptied over his head. He decided to stay quiet for the rest of the short ride upstairs. He had been so happy about sharing the elevator with Daphne without any other people there, but now he almost hoped for someone else to come on. He folded his hands to try and keep the nervousness out of his fingers. It didn't work and worst of all, Daphne noticed. She giggled.

"You don't like confined spaces, do you?" Niles hadn't even thought about that. While he wasn't crazy about them, he couldn't say that he felt uncomfortable in an elevator. His fidgetiness was her fault. He just couldn't tell her that.

"I guess I don't." He replied and tried to count the floors; he wanted nothing more than to get out of the elevator and away from Daphne's beautiful face, her beguiling scent and his less than appropriate thoughts. Then suddenly a strange movement – and a loud squeak. The world seemed to stop moving before it jerked right back to life. A moment later he wasn't sure whether he had screamed or Daphne. Or someone else. Everything happened too fast and then it was over. Everything was quiet and still. Nothing moved and neither did Niles and Daphne. The laundry basket was on the floor, some pieces of clothing scattered around. Niles saw a blue sock and for a short moment he felt the desperate need to pick it up, to make it right again.

"What- what was that?" Daphne asked him with a shaky voice. He didn't answer, because he didn't know. But her eyes tore into him and he couldn't bear it. So he picked up the sock and just held it as he touched the closed doors. The elevator had stopped moving. All the buttons were blinking at him as if they were some kind of computer game. On autopilot, he pushed the help button. There were many things he didn't know, but he knew they needed help.

"Dr. Crane? What happened to the elevator?" Niles hadn't thought it possible, but Daphne annoyed him. He had no idea what had happened and knowing he couldn't give her what she wanted, even only answers, was driving him crazy. So he clutched the sock tighter and turned to her. His anger disappeared into thin air as he turned to look at her. Her eyes pleaded with him to make this better. She seemed to think that he had all the answers (at least right here in the elevator). She trusted him (him!) to help them both out of this. Niles couldn't remember the last time someone had put so much confidence in him.

"I-I don't know, Daphne. I'm sure help will get here shortly." To his greatest surprise, her legs seemed to give in and suddenly she was sitting on the floor.

"Are you alright?"

"I don't really like these things. You know, elevators." So it was her who was scared of confined spaces! Niles smiled at her warmly.

"There's nothing to be scared of." He told her, sitting next to her. He put his arm around her to give her some comfort. To his greatest joy, she leaned into him. He couldn't tell her that there were plenty of things to be scared of. They had no water. Eventually, there wouldn't be enough air for them to breathe. He kept all the horrible scenarios that ran through his mind to himself.

"I'm so glad I'm not alone," Daphne told him, "I'm glad it's you who's with me." Niles' heart seemed to burst when she uttered these words. Plenty a night in the rather short time that he knew her, had he dreamed about words like these. He didn't expect great revelations of love; just this. A small acknowledgement on her side that he was more than her employer's annoying little brother.

"I wouldn't want to be stuck in an elevator with anyone else but you." Niles blurted and blushed when she turned to look at him. Her face was so close to his; closer than it had ever been. Her eyes seemed even more radiant that way.

"You always say the nicest things, Dr. Crane. Your wife is a lucky woman."

"My wife?" Just the thought of Maris almost ruined this moment. To lead a successful marriage had always been part of his life plan – and hers. Theirs was a marriage of convenience and always had been. He had mistaken her interest in his social standing with love. He couldn't deny that he had feelings for her and how could he not? They'd lived together for many, many years now. He was used to having her around. Most of all however, he was used to the false security his marriage gave him.

"Mrs. Crane. I imagine you tell her such beautiful things all day."

"I wish. I once wrote her a poem and she didn't speak to me for two weeks." He had accentuated her unique style and complexion – Maris had not been amused by that.

"A poem," Daphne raved, "I once had a boy write me a poem: Daphne is tall, she towers over them all. Yet she can't catch a ball. It wasn't true either." She sighed and Niles thought he fell a little more in love with her.

"Were you bullied at school?" He asked, painfully remembering his own school days.

"Not really, no. I always knew how to defend myself." She smiled at him almost proudly. Niles had a vision of a child that was half him and half her; he or she would be the smartest kid in school, but they'd be popular. He sighed and Daphne looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Just daydreaming," he admitted, "Do you miss England?"

"Sometimes. You know I miss me family and the feeling of home. But I like it here. I love your father and your brother. Even that strange dog." She chuckled and Niles couldn't help but feel left out. She had even mentioned Frasier; why not him? He tried to hide his disappointment behind a smile.

"Of course I love you as well, Dr. Crane. When I started this job, I had no idea I'd meet so many wonderful people."

"We love you, too, Daphne." 'Some of us more than we should', he thought guiltily.

"I'm not sure your brother would agree."

"If he ever throws you out, you can come live with me." Niles blurted. The confined space and her proximity made him bolder. And he wasn't sure whether it was a good or a bad thing.

"Oh Dr. Crane, you're funny." Daphne laughed and because of that movement her face was even closer to his all of a sudden. Niles couldn't help but stare at her. First her eyes, because they were just so beautiful. But then, somehow, he lowered his gaze and there were her lips. Slightly parted, almost invitingly. He was felt hungry – and thirsty – and all he had to do was lean forward, just the tiniest bit and he could taste what this forbidden fruit tasted like. If he only dared to be that man. Slowly, his lips seemed to move closer to hers. The smile had left her lips; she was as serious as he was. She didn't move away, but Niles wasn't sure she was moving towards him either. Their lips were about to meet for the first time, he could already feel her warm breath on his face as the elevator jerked again. Their heads clashed (their lips did, too, but so briefly neither would ever remember it) and Daphne jumped up in joy – or embarrassment (he couldn't tell and he didn't even want to know; his own embarrassment seemed to burn his skin).

"We're moving!" She exclaimed happily. Quickly, she assembled the lost pieces of laundry and put them back in the basket. She only looked at Niles when she realized he was still holding that one blue sock. He grinned and put it in the basket himself. Daphne almost fled the elevator as soon as the doors opened. Before she went inside apartment 1901, she paused.

"Thank you, Dr. Crane. You know, for keeping me calm."

"You're quite welcome, Daphne."

"Come on in. I'll make us something to eat. Somehow I feel really hungry." Niles followed her inside. She was chattering like a monkey and laughing and he didn't even understand what she was saying. It didn't matter. As he watched her move around the apartment, he realized that his crush had turned into something deeper. So much more serious (and dangerous). A beautiful feeling took hold of him; a feeling he never even knew existed.

"My lucky day." He mumbled and knew it to be true.

**END**


End file.
